If you’re expecting me to tell you that “online marketing is dead” or “Google is dying,” you’re in the wrong place. I’ve been watching the digital world evolve for over 20 years, and what I’m seeing heading into 2026 isn’t a crisis—it’s the biggest opportunity we’ve had in a decade.
Here’s the catch: it’s only an opportunity if you’re willing to adapt, move quickly, and take action.
Right now, there’s a lot of noise and confusion in the marketing world. Everyone has an opinion. Most of them are wrong. The simple truth is this: when things are uncertain, opportunities emerge. And right now, we’re swimming in both.
Why Change Is Your Friend
The online landscape today looks completely different than it did twelve months ago. And that’s exactly why smart business owners should be excited. While your competitors are frozen in confusion, you have the chance to get ahead in ways they haven’t even thought about yet.
Let me show you what I’m seeing, why it matters, and—most importantly—how you can use it to grow your business.
Three Big Opportunities for 2026
Opportunity #1: Google Is Changing (And That’s Good News)
I keep hearing people say Google is dying. That’s nonsense. What I’m actually seeing is a company making huge changes very quickly—and most businesses aren’t keeping up.
What’s Happening:
The Google search results page you see today is completely different from January 2025. We’re seeing:
- AI-powered answers appearing directly in search results
- New shopping features that make it easier to buy products
- Online forums (like Reddit) showing up more often in search results
- Completely new ways for people to search and find information
Why This Matters to You:
When platforms change this fast, the old rules get thrown out. The strategies that worked in 2025 won’t necessarily work in 2026. But more importantly, the strategies that will work in 2026 haven’t been fully discovered yet.
This is your window to get ahead.
What You Should Do: Stop treating Google as something that never changes. Spend time each week looking at search results for your industry. Notice what’s different. Try new things. The business owners who track these changes—rather than ignoring them or waiting for others to figure it out—will win big.
Opportunity #2: AI Search Tools Are New (And Easy to Influence)
AI tools like ChatGPT are now answering questions that people used to search for on Google. Here’s what most people don’t know: these AI tools are still figuring things out. They’re much easier to influence than Google is.
What’s Working Right Now:
- Creating helpful content on popular forums (especially Reddit)
- Making lists and guides that AI tools naturally want to reference
- Being present on multiple platforms so AI tools see you as a trusted source
I recently studied a case where someone got their business recommended by both Google and AI tools through strategic activity on Reddit. The content showed up in: 1. Google search results 2. Reddit discussions 3. AI tool recommendations
Why This Works:
AI tools don’t have established rules yet for choosing what to recommend. Google has spent fifteen years developing complex systems, but AI search is basically the Wild West right now.
Here’s the Important Part: This is temporary. Just like online marketing got more complicated over time, AI tool optimisation will get harder too. The question is: will you be one of the early adopters who figures this out now, or will you wait until everyone else is already doing it?
What You Should Do: Start experimenting with creating valuable content on high-authority platforms. Notice what gets mentioned by AI tools. Learn the patterns while it’s still easy. This knowledge will pay off big as more people use AI search.
Opportunity #3: You Need to Be in Multiple Places (Not Just Your Website)
For years, the advice was simple: build your website, own your email list, and control everything. That made sense in 2017. It’s a mistake in 2026.
The New Reality:
Your customers are everywhere. They search on Google, ask ChatGPT questions, browse Reddit, watch TikTok, scroll YouTube, and use platforms that don’t even exist yet. They’re finding you (or not finding you) in places you might not even know about.
You can’t own everything anymore. More importantly, you shouldn’t try.
What This Actually Means:
Instead of trying to control everything, focus on being present where your customers are. Provide value in the formats and places they prefer. Let go of the illusion of control and embrace the reality of influence.
Think of It Like This:
- Your Foundation: Your website and email list—these are yours
- Your Amplifiers: Press coverage, social media reach, mentions on other sites
- Your Accelerators: Paid advertising and sponsorships
- Your Distribution: Reddit, forums, YouTube, LinkedIn, industry platforms
Success in 2026 requires presence across all four categories.
What You Should Do: Make a list of where your customers spend time online. Find the top three places where you’re not currently present. Create a plan to show up there in the next 90 days.
What Winners and Losers Look Like in 2026
Let me paint a clear picture:
The 2026 Winner:
- Has a high-quality website with good technical foundations
- Shows up on 3-6 key platforms where their customers hang out
- Creates genuinely valuable content (not just keyword-stuffed articles)
- Constantly tests new ideas and approaches
- Tracks results without obsessing over perfect data
- Moves quickly when new opportunities appear
- Views AI tools as new ways to reach customers, not threats
- Produces quality content consistently and systematically
The 2026 Loser:
- Keeps doing exactly what they did in 2025
- Obsesses over tracking every detail while taking no action
- Waits for “proven strategies” before doing anything
- Puts all their effort into just one channel
- Produces low-quality content just to have more content
- Freezes when things feel uncertain
- Sees change as a threat instead of an opportunity
Your Simple 90-Day Action Plan
If you’re serious about winning in 2026, here’s what to do right now:
Month 1: Assess Where You Stand
- Check that your website is fast and works well on mobile phones
- List all the places you currently get customers from
- Identify the top 3 places your customers spend time that you’re not currently active
Month 2: Expand Your Presence
- Start creating content on 1-2 new platforms (focus on places where your customers already are)
- Set up better ways to track what’s working
- Try some experiments and see what happens
Month 3: Double Down on What Works
- Take the tactics that showed promise and do more of them
- Stop doing what clearly isn’t working
- Create systems so you can keep doing what works without it taking all your time
The Bottom Line
The online marketing world in 2026 will look different from anything we’ve known. Google is changing rapidly. AI is reshaping how people search. You need to be present on multiple platforms. Quality matters more than ever.
But here’s the thing: this is exactly the type of environment where smart, action-oriented business owners thrive.
Uncertainty isn’t your enemy—it’s your opportunity. While others are paralyzed by change, you can be building advantages in places your competitors haven’t even discovered yet.
What Matters Most
Let me make this crystal clear: you don’t need to be a technical expert to win in 2026. You need to understand these basic principles:
- Be where your customers are – not just where you want them to be
- Create genuinely helpful content – not just content for search engines
- Try new things while others wait – first movers win big
- Focus on quality over quantity – better beats more
- Track your results and adjust – perfect data isn’t necessary, good enough is fine
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – diversify where you show up
The businesses that will dominate in 2026 aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the most technical knowledge. They’re the ones willing to adapt, experiment, and take action while others are still trying to figure out what’s happening.
The Choice Is Yours
The question isn’t whether the landscape is changing. It is. The question is whether you’re going to be one of the business owners who uses that change to get ahead or one who gets left behind waiting for things to become clear.
I know which group I’m in. The only question that matters is: which group are you in?
The opportunities I’ve outlined in this article won’t last forever. Early movers will establish advantages that become harder and harder to copy. The time to act isn’t when everything is perfectly clear—it’s now, while there’s still room to get ahead.
Try new things. Track your results. Adjust quickly. And remember: taking action beats perfect planning every single time.
The game has changed. The winners will be those who change with it.
Ready to Take Action?
Start with just one thing from this article. Pick the opportunity that makes the most sense for your business. Take action on it this week. Then move to the next one.
You don’t need to do everything at once. You just need to start moving forward.
The opportunity is real. The question is: will you seize it?
